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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 116 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. key — in music
  4. craft — a skill
  5. mine — for digging
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. band — a ring
  11. board — a committee
  12. pitch — completely
  13. band — a music group
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. craft — boats
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. key — for a lock
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitch — a sports field

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