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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. object — a thing
  3. plane — a tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. roll — a list
  6. object — an aim
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. object — to protest
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. key — in music
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. key — for a lock
  15. content — the amount
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. content — happy
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chest — of your body
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. roll — on a roll

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