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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. key — the most important part
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kid — child
  8. key — in music
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — clever
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. scale — size or range

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