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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. last — final
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. last — to go on
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. key — in music
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — in biology
  19. shower — rain
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cell — a phone
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mouse — the animal

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