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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chest — of your body
  3. capital — a city
  4. cell — in biology
  5. board — a committee
  6. key — the most important part
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. drill — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. chest — a box
  11. drill — army training
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. board — to get on
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. drill — a practice
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mark — a grade
  20. capital — money
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mark — a trace
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chest — of your body

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