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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pop — soda
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pop — music
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wind — moving air
  11. can — to be able to
  12. track — a song
  13. key — the most important part
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. can — a tin
  18. key — in music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. can — a tin

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