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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. last — final
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. file — a line of people
  5. last — to go on
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mine — for digging
  10. file — a document
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. squash — to crush
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. tube — a container
  21. file — a tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. squash — the sport

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