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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. key — for a lock
  4. firm — a company
  5. key — in music
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. key — the most important part
  8. season — of the year
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. firm — decided
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fine — all right
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tear — from crying
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — in sport
  22. firm — steady
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chair — a leader

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