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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rush — hurry
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. swing — music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. swing — to play on
  16. toast — bread
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. swing — in golf
  21. staff — a stick
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. staff — employees
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com