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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ball — a dance
  5. root — the cause
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kid — to tease
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pop — soda
  18. squash — to crush
  19. root — of a word
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. root — of a plant
  22. squash — the sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. kid — child

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