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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. key — in music
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fine — high quality
  11. last — to go on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. last — finally
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. last — final
  19. staff — employees
  20. fine — all right
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cold — an illness
  24. key — the most important part

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