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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · deal · hand · mouse · mine · rash · bear · pop

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hand — help
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rash — a series
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bear — the animal

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