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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. land — to come down
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. land — ground
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fork — in a road
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. suit — to fit
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. land — a country
  24. fork — to eat with

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