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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. key — the most important part
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. key — in music
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — hasty
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rash — a series
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ground — crushed

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