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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bat — the animal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. suit — clothes
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. suit — in cards
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. board — a committee
  11. hand — help
  12. board — to get on
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. dip — to sink
  15. snap — to click
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. hand — in cards
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. key — in music
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. hand — part of the body

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