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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. deal — to handle
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. key — in music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. deal — an agreement

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