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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cold — an illness
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. shower — rain
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. key — in music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — for a lock
  12. scale — in music
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. object — an aim
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. scale — size or range
  18. shower — to wash
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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