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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.

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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. deal — to handle
  3. season — in sport
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bank — of a river
  7. band — a music group
  8. key — in music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — thin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. last — finally
  16. season — of the year
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. key — for a lock
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. can — a tin

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