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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. key — the most important part
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. key — for a lock
  7. file — a document
  8. ball — a great time
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mark — a trace
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. file — a line of people
  15. key — in music
  16. track — a song
  17. foot — a measure
  18. file — a tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mark — a grade
  24. foot — part of the body

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