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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bat — the animal
  6. key — in music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. last — to go on
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. last — final
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ground — a position
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. last — finally
  23. saw — the tool
  24. leaves — to go away

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