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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. last — finally
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. last — to go on
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. object — a thing
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. object — an aim
  17. lean — thin
  18. object — to protest
  19. wind — moving air
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — final

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