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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chip — to eat
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. key — in music
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. file — a document
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cap — a lid
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. chip — for betting
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cap — of ice
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — the animal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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