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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. drill — army training
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — help
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. net — in sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — a leader

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