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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — to bend
  8. key — in music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mate — to breed
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. lean — thin
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bark — to shout
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bark — of a tree

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