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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. band — a ring
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — of water
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. craft — boats
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. key — for a lock
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. dip — to sink
  15. toast — bread
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. band — a music group
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — in music
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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