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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — tied together
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pop — soda
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fine — high quality
  16. scale — size or range
  17. key — in music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fine — all right
  21. scale — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fine — a penalty

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