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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — the season
  4. court — of law
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. craft — boats
  11. court — of a king
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — certain
  14. key — in music
  15. hand — help
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spring — a coil
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spring — of water
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. court — for sport

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