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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. can — a tin
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rule — a law
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. staff — employees
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. can — a tin
  14. rule — government
  15. board — a committee
  16. staff — a stick
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. board — to get on
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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