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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. key — for a lock
  7. court — of a king
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. key — in music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — for sport
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fall — the season
  22. court — of law
  23. mate — to breed
  24. key — the most important part

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