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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. craft — a skill
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. key — for a lock
  8. current — electric
  9. staff — employees
  10. current — happening now
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bound — certain
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. craft — boats
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kick — in football
  21. current — of water
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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