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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wound — an injury
  11. key — for a lock
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chair — a leader
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. content — happy
  21. wound — an injury
  22. content — the amount
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. key — in music

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