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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a friend
  4. key — in music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fall — to drop
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. present — a gift
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hand — help
  14. foot — a measure
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fall — the season
  17. mate — a partner
  18. key — for a lock
  19. present — the time now
  20. game — a match
  21. craft — a skill
  22. key — the most important part
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. craft — boats

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