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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. swing — in golf
  5. root — of a plant
  6. band — a ring
  7. can — a tin
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. can — to be able to
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cell — a phone
  14. band — a music group
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. root — the cause
  18. swing — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. object — an aim
  21. cell — in biology
  22. key — in music
  23. root — of a word
  24. swing — to play on

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