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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. key — for a lock
  4. last — to go on
  5. hand — help
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. key — in music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. saw — the tool
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. pit — a hole
  16. hand — in cards
  17. land — ground
  18. charge — in control
  19. land — to come down
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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