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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. key — in music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. dip — to sink
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cell — in biology
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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