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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. kick — in football
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. tear — to rip
  6. content — happy
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. content — the amount
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. key — in music

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