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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. net — in sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. key — in music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. net — for catching
  10. key — for a lock
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — after costs
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. key — the most important part
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. perch — for a bird

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