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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pit — a hole
  5. content — happy
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stem — to come from
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. content — the amount
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pit — in a race
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. march — music
  19. key — in music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. content — videos and posts

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