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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'd like to play a game 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. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. charge — in control
  7. squash — to crush
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — thin
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. charge — a price
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. key — in music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. squash — the sport

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