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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of law
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. court — of a king
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. lean — thin
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — in music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. court — for sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — not warm

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