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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. key — the most important part
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — in music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. row — to paddle
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. row — a line
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wound — an injury
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bulb — for light

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