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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chair — a leader
  8. key — for a lock
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of law
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. band — a ring
  14. can — a tin
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. court — of a king
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. spell — a short time
  21. court — for sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spell — magic
  24. chair — a professorship

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