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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. firm — steady
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rush — hurry
  8. key — in music
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cap — a hat
  14. plane — a tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pit — a hole
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cap — a lid
  20. squash — to crush
  21. firm — decided
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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