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

Word bank: roll · content · tear · key · straw · foot · mate · fine

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. roll — a cake
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — a partner
  7. content — the amount
  8. key — for a lock
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. key — in music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mate — a friend
  13. roll — a list
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fine — all right
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. content — happy
  24. fine — high quality

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