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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. court — of a king
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lean — to bend
  8. court — of law
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. plane — a tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. march — the month
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — a line
  20. court — for sport
  21. cell — in biology
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. lean — thin

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