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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pit — a hole
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — in a race
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rule — a law
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. key — in music
  19. season — in sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rule — to rule out

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