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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. season — in sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. last — finally
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fork — in a road
  12. key — in music
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lean — thin
  18. last — to go on
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. key — the most important part
  23. ball — a great time
  24. last — final

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