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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mate — a partner
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. last — to go on
  7. key — in music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. root — the cause
  12. file — a document
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — finally
  15. root — of a plant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. root — of a word
  19. perch — the fish
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — final
  22. mate — to breed
  23. key — for a lock
  24. file — a tool

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