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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cue — for pool
  4. last — final
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cue — a hint
  10. last — finally
  11. key — the most important part
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. land — ground
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mark — a trace
  22. key — in music
  23. last — to go on
  24. fine — high quality

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