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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. last — finally
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cap — a hat
  6. last — to go on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. key — for a lock
  11. court — of a king
  12. last — final
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lean — to bend
  17. key — in music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. court — of law
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rush — hurry
  24. court — for sport

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