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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. content — happy
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. charge — a price
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. key — the most important part
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — the amount
  14. charge — in control
  15. last — final
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — help
  18. key — in music
  19. hand — in cards
  20. track — a song
  21. last — finally
  22. mate — a partner
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mate — a friend

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