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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. club — for golf
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — happy
  5. pit — in a race
  6. key — the most important part
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — a group
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to click
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. club — for dancing
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. key — in music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wind — moving air
  22. content — the amount
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. key — for a lock

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