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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. key — the most important part
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. key — in music
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pop — soda
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mug — a face
  14. lean — thin
  15. pop — music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — for digging

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