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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pop — to visit
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pop — soda
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ground — a position
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ball — a great time
  9. key — for a lock
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pop — music
  16. current — happening now
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ground — crushed
  22. key — in music
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. sharp — exactly

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