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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fine — high quality
  4. key — in music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fine — all right
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mark — a trace
  12. season — in sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wind — moving air
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bear — the animal
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. mark — a grade

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