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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. content — happy
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. content — the amount
  18. wake — a trail
  19. key — the most important part
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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