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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — help
  4. last — to go on
  5. hand — in cards
  6. key — in music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. last — final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — finally
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. hand — part of the body

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