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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor 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. chest — of your body
  3. pop — to visit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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