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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. firm — a company
  3. staff — employees
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — a coil
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. firm — steady
  10. staff — a stick
  11. key — in music
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — the season
  14. firm — decided
  15. charge — in control
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. charge — a price
  19. spring — of water
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mine — belonging to me

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