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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bark — to shout
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rock — music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. land — to come down
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. land — a country
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cold — not warm
  23. key — in music
  24. land — ground

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