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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. craft — boats
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. key — in music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cap — a hat
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. craft — a skill

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