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

Word bank: cell · key · bay · mine · drill · bound · rest · straw

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rest — what's left
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. drill — army training
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. key — in music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bound — obliged
  9. key — the most important part
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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