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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bound — obliged
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bound — certain
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. key — in music
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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