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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rock — music
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. key — in music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — a stone
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mark — to pay attention

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