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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spring — of water
  6. last — finally
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pop — music
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. spring — the season
  20. board — a committee
  21. key — the most important part
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. key — in music

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