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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ball — a dance
  4. key — in music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — child
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — for a lock
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pop — to visit
  23. key — the most important part
  24. temple — side of the head

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