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

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. bear — the animal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. club — a group
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. key — for a lock
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. last — final
  12. key — in music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to click
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for dancing

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