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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bear — the animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ground — a position
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fine — all right
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mate — a partner
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — of water
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fine — high quality
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. key — in music
  20. dip — to sink
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spring — the season

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