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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. can — a tin
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — in music
  7. craft — boats
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. craft — a skill
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — to go on
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — in sport
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. can — to be able to
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — finally
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. season — of the year

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