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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. key — in music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. key — the most important part
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. row — a line
  9. perch — the fish
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. net — in sport
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — after costs
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to click
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pitch — completely
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. net — for catching

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