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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. key — for a lock
  7. band — a ring
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. board — a committee
  17. key — in music
  18. object — a thing
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chair — a leader
  24. band — a music group

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