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

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. key — in music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. band — a ring
  9. game — wild animals
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lie — to recline
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a music group
  15. season — of the year
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part

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