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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fork — in a road
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spell — letters
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. key — in music
  17. season — in sport
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. season — of the year
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. key — for a lock

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