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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cap — a lid
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — a song
  6. cap — a hat
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — a path
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rule — government
  15. key — in music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — a video
  19. drill — army training
  20. chair — a leader
  21. clip — to cut
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. arm — part of the body

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