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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bank — of a river
  5. hand — help
  6. cap — of ice
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cap — a hat
  10. club — for dancing
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bank — for money
  13. fall — the season
  14. key — in music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bank — for money
  17. club — a group
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cap — a lid
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — for golf

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