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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cell — in biology
  3. kick — in football
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. can — a tin
  8. key — for a lock
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. swing — to play on
  15. band — a ring
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. swing — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cell — a phone
  21. swing — in golf
  22. key — in music
  23. chip — to eat
  24. can — to be able to

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