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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 120 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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chair — a leader
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — obliged
  12. file — a document
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tear — to rip
  18. key — in music
  19. bound — certain
  20. file — a tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pitcher — a jug

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