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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — to protest
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — a phone
  6. key — the most important part
  7. object — a thing
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cell — in biology
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rule — government
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. object — an aim
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — in music
  24. dip — to sink

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