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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · clip · drill · leaves · key · mine · row · board

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. drill — the tool
  3. key — in music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. drill — army training
  6. clip — to cut
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. board — a committee
  11. key — the most important part
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. clip — for paper
  20. row — to paddle
  21. clip — a video
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. leaves — of a tree

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