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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. can — a tin
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. season — in sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. track — a song
  7. key — in music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. can — to be able to
  10. key — the most important part
  11. season — of the year
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — farmland
  16. sharp — clever
  17. track — a path
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. field — a subject
  21. bear — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — for sport
  24. leaves — of a tree

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