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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. present — a gift
  3. spring — of water
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. present — the time now
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spring — a coil
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. scale — in music
  14. game — a match
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — size or range
  17. key — the most important part
  18. spring — the season
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. game — wild animals
  21. present — there
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rest — a break

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