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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. land — to come down
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. key — the most important part
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — a trace
  12. court — for sport
  13. kid — child
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. court — of a king
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. court — of law
  20. bass — low music
  21. mark — a grade
  22. kick — in football
  23. key — in music
  24. kid — to tease

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