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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. present — a gift
  3. key — for a lock
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. present — there
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — clever
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fork — in a road
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. present — the time now
  21. pass — a permit
  22. ball — a dance
  23. key — in music
  24. pass — to succeed

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