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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kid — to tease
  5. land — to come down
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pop — soda
  8. land — ground
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pop — to visit
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mark — a grade
  14. key — in music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. key — the most important part
  22. land — a country
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kid — child

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