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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. present — a gift
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. present — there
  6. lean — thin
  7. kid — to tease
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bass — low music
  10. lean — to bend
  11. field — for sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. key — for a lock
  15. field — a subject
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. present — the time now
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — farmland
  22. key — in music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — the fish

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