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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — a partner
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cue — for pool
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cue — a signal
  18. key — in music
  19. cue — a hint
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mate — to breed
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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