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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. scale — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bear — the animal
  8. firm — steady
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. firm — a company
  11. kid — child
  12. cell — a phone
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ball — a dance
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. row — to paddle
  23. firm — decided
  24. row — a line

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