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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — a grade
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. object — to protest
  18. tear — to rip
  19. object — an aim
  20. rash — hasty
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rash — a series

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