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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. spring — a coil
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — the animal
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — the amount
  11. key — the most important part
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — happy
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. suit — in cards
  21. key — in music
  22. spring — the season
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tear — to rip

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