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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rash — hasty
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. land — ground
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ball — a great time
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. land — to come down
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. snap — to click
  18. ground — a position
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — a country
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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