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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. key — in music
  3. row — a line
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. object — to protest
  9. row — to paddle
  10. scale — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hand — in cards
  14. can — a tin
  15. staff — employees
  16. key — the most important part
  17. scale — size or range
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. hand — help
  20. staff — employees
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. object — an aim
  24. fork — in a road

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