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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chair — a leader
  3. key — for a lock
  4. track — a song
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — the underground
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — to keep track
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fall — to drop
  13. board — a committee
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — in music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. board — to get on
  20. track — a path
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. key — the most important part

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