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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. rock — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. court — of law
  6. key — for a lock
  7. court — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rock — a stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wake — a trail
  16. court — of a king
  17. track — a path
  18. scale — in music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — a song
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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