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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rash — a series
  3. object — an aim
  4. swing — to play on
  5. key — the most important part
  6. object — to protest
  7. cap — a hat
  8. sharp — clever
  9. swing — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ball — a dance
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cap — of ice
  17. object — a thing
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ball — a great time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. sharp — with an edge

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