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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. suit — to fit
  3. last — finally
  4. chest — of your body
  5. key — in music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. staff — employees
  8. squash — to crush
  9. key — for a lock
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. key — the most important part
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. last — to go on
  17. suit — clothes
  18. squash — the sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. chest — a box
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — final
  23. staff — a stick
  24. suit — in cards

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