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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bulb — for light
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — in music
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a match
  19. club — a group
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — for golf
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. club — for dancing
  24. lash — to lash out

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