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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. craft — boats
  3. mug — a cup
  4. charge — a price
  5. key — in music
  6. game — a match
  7. spring — a coil
  8. charge — in control
  9. mug — to rob
  10. spring — of water
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. spring — the season
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mug — a face
  19. pit — a hole
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. key — the most important part
  23. charge — electricity
  24. game — wild animals

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