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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. sharp — clever
  3. suit — in cards
  4. key — for a lock
  5. suit — to fit
  6. band — a music group
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. key — the most important part
  10. suit — clothes
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. season — in sport
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. band — a ring
  18. snap — to click
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. key — in music
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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