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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mug — a cup
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — child
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. key — in music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fall — the season
  15. bank — for money
  16. mug — a face
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bank — of a river
  19. staff — employees
  20. mug — to rob
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — to keep secret

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