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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. key — in music
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — to tease
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. field — for sport
  8. key — for a lock
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. field — a subject
  11. pop — music
  12. land — ground
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pop — to visit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. field — farmland
  18. land — a country
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — to come down
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pop — soda
  23. kid — child
  24. staff — employees

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