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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rule — a law
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. dip — to sink
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. court — of a king
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. hand — help
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rule — government
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bear — the animal
  24. straw — dry grass

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