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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I put the bag on or beside 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. squash — to crush
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. key — for a lock
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chair — a leader
  7. snap — to click
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. key — in music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cap — a lid
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chair — to sit on

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