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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. lean — thin
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. can — a tin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cold — an illness
  22. key — in music
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fan — to cool the air

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