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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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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. spring — a coil
  3. key — the most important part
  4. staff — employees
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. staff — employees
  7. pop — music
  8. key — in music
  9. pop — soda
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pop — to visit
  12. key — for a lock
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. game — wild animals
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. content — the amount
  21. game — a match
  22. kick — in football
  23. content — happy
  24. kick — a thrill

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