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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. roll — a list
  11. file — a tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. snap — to click
  14. key — in music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. file — a line of people
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. file — a document
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. key — for a lock

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