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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spell — magic
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mate — a friend
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. present — the time now
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spell — letters
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. present — there
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — a gift
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spell — a short time

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