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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. kid — child
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fall — the season
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fall — to drop
  18. suit — to fit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mug — a cup
  24. hand — help

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