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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. club — a group
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — of water
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — finally
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. club — for golf
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mate — a friend

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