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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pass — a permit
  7. deal — to handle
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. key — in music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. last — to go on
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. mine — for digging
  22. object — an aim
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. key — for a lock

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