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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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468
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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. object — a thing
  3. content — happy
  4. object — an aim
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chest — a box
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. roll — a cake
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. content — the amount
  16. wake — a trail
  17. roll — a list
  18. fork — in a road
  19. object — to protest
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chest — of your body
  24. content — videos and posts

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