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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stand — to bear
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. staff — employees
  8. craft — a skill
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. craft — boats
  13. staff — employees
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. drill — army training
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. drill — the tool

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