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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. charge — electricity
  3. net — for catching
  4. lean — thin
  5. cap — a hat
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. net — after costs
  8. key — in music
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cap — of ice
  15. charge — in control
  16. net — in sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. charge — a price
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. content — happy
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. content — the amount
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cap — a lid

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