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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. key — for a lock
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. key — the most important part
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ruler — a monarch

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