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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rock — a stone
  4. present — a gift
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. net — for catching
  10. rock — music
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — after costs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. net — in sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. key — in music
  23. pitch — completely
  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