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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cap — of ice
  3. land — a country
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — the amount
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hand — in cards
  11. content — happy
  12. wake — a trail
  13. hand — help
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. land — ground
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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