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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spring — the season
  4. date — the fruit
  5. file — a line of people
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. file — a document
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. foot — a measure
  14. plane — a tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a tool
  23. key — in music
  24. spring — of water

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