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

Word bank: bay · key · cap · file · wave · mug · stick · bear

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mug — a face
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. key — the most important part
  16. file — a document
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. key — in music
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mug — to rob
  22. file — a tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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