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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. toast — bread
  3. last — finally
  4. key — the most important part
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. last — to go on
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. key — in music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bore — to tire
  17. sharp — clever
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. perch — the fish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — to drill
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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