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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. field — a subject
  7. deal — to handle
  8. field — for sport
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — farmland
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mug — a face
  15. last — finally
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. key — in music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. last — final
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. ball — a round shape

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