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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. charge — in control
  8. key — in music
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kid — to tease
  12. last — final
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kid — child
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. charge — a price
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. drill — the tool
  20. perch — the fish
  21. last — finally
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. last — to go on

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