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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. last — final
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. key — for a lock
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — to go on
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mine — for digging
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — finally
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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