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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — music
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. scale — size or range
  7. content — the amount
  8. lean — thin
  9. game — a match
  10. scale — in music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. lean — to bend
  14. key — in music
  15. club — a group
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pop — soda
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pop — to visit
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. key — the most important part
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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