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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. present — there
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. present — a gift
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. key — the most important part
  17. drill — army training
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. key — in music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chip — to eat
  24. present — the time now

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