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

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chip — for betting
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. last — to go on
  10. net — after costs
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mate — a partner
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chip — to eat
  16. last — finally
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching

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