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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. club — a group
  6. ground — a position
  7. suit — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — for dancing
  10. key — the most important part
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. key — in music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. key — for a lock
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. club — for golf
  18. ground — the earth
  19. suit — to fit
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ground — crushed

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