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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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Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rule — a law
  7. can — a tin
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. kid — to tease
  12. swing — to play on
  13. can — to be able to
  14. kid — child
  15. key — in music
  16. swing — music
  17. chest — a box
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — government
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. swing — in golf

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