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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. key — in music
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mate — a partner
  23. club — for golf
  24. fine — all right

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