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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. track — a path
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rest — a break
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. present — a gift
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a dance
  16. track — to keep track
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — a song
  19. present — the time now
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. present — there
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rush — hurry

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