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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cell — a phone
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — the most important part
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. swing — in golf
  15. key — in music
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tear — to rip
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pass — a permit
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mug — a face
  24. cell — in biology

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