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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pop — to visit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pop — soda
  10. last — final
  11. wake — a trail
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. squash — the sport
  16. capital — a city
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. squash — to crush
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. capital — money
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pop — music

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