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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · date · land · can · content · plane · key · straw

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. key — the most important part
  3. can — to be able to
  4. key — for a lock
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chair — a leader
  12. can — a tin
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. land — ground
  17. key — in music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. content — the amount
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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