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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bark — to shout
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. key — for a lock
  18. present — there
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wave — of the sea

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