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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. key — the most important part
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. club — for golf
  6. fine — all right
  7. mark — a trace
  8. game — a match
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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