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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. spell — letters
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — the fish
  8. firm — steady
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pit — a hole
  11. lie — to recline
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pit — in a race
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. key — in music
  23. spell — magic
  24. cap — a lid

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