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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. key — in music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. season — in sport
  5. shower — to wash
  6. present — there
  7. season — of the year
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — completely
  13. row — to paddle
  14. court — for sport
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. shower — rain
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. court — of law
  21. row — a line
  22. court — of a king
  23. present — the time now
  24. mark — to pay attention

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