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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. squash — the sport
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. key — in music
  8. spring — of water
  9. capital — a city
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. spring — the season
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — money
  14. squash — to crush
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. date — the fruit
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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