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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spring — of water
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spell — magic
  7. rock — music
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — final
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mug — to rob
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. key — the most important part
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. last — to go on
  16. date — the fruit
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spring — the season
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. last — finally
  23. key — in music
  24. mug — a face

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