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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. object — an aim
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. key — in music
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. court — of a king
  9. chip — to eat
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. key — for a lock
  16. object — a thing
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. object — to protest

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