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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. key — the most important part
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — in music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cell — in biology
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. object — an aim
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rest — what's left
  19. scale — in music
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. net — after costs
  22. object — a thing
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rest — a break

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