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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. key — the most important part
  3. kid — child
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mug — to rob
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. key — in music
  10. game — a match
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mug — a face
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. roll — a cake
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mark — a trace

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