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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. key — for a lock
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — an amount
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. content — the amount
  15. mate — a partner
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. key — in music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mate — to breed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. content — happy
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mate — a friend

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