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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — magic
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. key — in music
  5. kid — child
  6. row — a line
  7. press — a publisher
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — letters
  11. press — newspapers
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stock — goods
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. kid — to tease
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stock — shares
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — to push
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. key — the most important part

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