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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 piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pop — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pop — soda
  5. key — the most important part
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. staff — employees
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. staff — employees
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pop — to visit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spring — a coil
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wake — a trail
  24. staff — a stick

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