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

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cue — a hint
  3. club — for golf
  4. cue — a signal
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — of the year
  7. cue — for pool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. club — a group
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bat — the animal
  13. key — the most important part
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. key — in music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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