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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. deal — to handle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. file — a tool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. file — a document
  16. chest — a box
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. season — to add flavour

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