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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bulb — for light
  3. can — a tin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. tear — from crying
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — for a lock
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spring — the season
  13. key — in music
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. spring — of water
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tear — to rip
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — a tin
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spring — a coil

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