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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. key — the most important part
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. prune — to trim
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bat — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. rock — a stone
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. staff — a stick
  16. key — in music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — a break
  20. rock — music
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. club — a group
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rest — what's left

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