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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bear — the animal
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chair — a leader
  10. key — in music
  11. track — a song
  12. hand — help
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mine — for digging
  16. toast — bread
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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