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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rush — hurry
  3. key — in music
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — help
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. season — of the year
  9. ball — a dance
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — final
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mate — a friend
  18. last — to go on
  19. season — in sport
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mate — a partner
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mate — to breed

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