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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rest — a break
  6. spell — magic
  7. key — in music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bass — low music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spell — letters
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. kid — child
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pound — a weight
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. kid — to tease
  24. key — for a lock

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