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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 get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. track — a path
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. key — in music
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. present — there
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stand — to bear
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. track — a song
  16. scale — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. kick — in football
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. present — the time now
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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