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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cold — an illness
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ball — a dance
  9. craft — a skill
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. snap — to click
  13. ball — a great time
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. lean — thin
  16. swing — to play on
  17. craft — boats
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. key — in music
  20. swing — music
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. key — for a lock

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