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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. snap — to click
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. hand — help
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. hand — in cards
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. key — for a lock
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rest — a break
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. key — in music
  24. rest — what's left

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