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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cue — a hint
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mate — a friend
  5. key — in music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. board — a committee
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cue — for pool
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mate — to breed
  16. file — a document
  17. lie — to recline
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cue — a signal
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. file — a tool
  23. kid — child
  24. mate — a partner

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