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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. spring — of water
  4. key — for a lock
  5. ground — a position
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rule — government
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — in sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. shower — to wash
  18. key — in music
  19. shower — rain
  20. spring — the season
  21. rule — a law
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bear — the animal

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