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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wake — a trail
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rock — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. key — in music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wound — an injury
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cabinet — ministers

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