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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. key — for a lock
  4. land — a country
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. land — to come down
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. key — in music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. land — ground
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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