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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: key · object · pound · cap · mine · chest · stick · mouse

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. object — to protest
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — a box
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cap — a hat
  24. object — an aim

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