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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pop — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a music group
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rest — a break
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. key — for a lock
  18. band — a ring
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — soda
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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