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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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. last — final
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. season — in sport
  7. key — in music
  8. season — of the year
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lie — to recline
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — a video
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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