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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. season — in sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. can — a tin
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. can — to be able to
  9. court — for sport
  10. mug — a face
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. net — for catching
  13. court — of law
  14. key — in music
  15. court — of a king
  16. swing — in golf
  17. can — a tin
  18. net — after costs
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mug — to rob
  21. swing — music
  22. season — of the year
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — in sport

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