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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rush — hurry
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mate — a partner
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rash — a series
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. hand — part of the body

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