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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. key — in music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rush — hurry
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. last — finally
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. key — the most important part
  16. last — final
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — a box
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. last — to go on

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