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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — in sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. key — in music
  6. content — happy
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. key — the most important part
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cue — a hint
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bear — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. cue — for pool
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. leaves — lets stay

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