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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 124 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mate — a friend
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mate — a partner
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. band — a ring
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pound — to hit hard

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