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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bank — for money
  15. last — to go on
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bank — of a river
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — completely
  21. club — a group
  22. key — in music
  23. club — for golf
  24. last — finally

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