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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mark — a grade
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — the most important part
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ball — a dance
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — a trace
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. leaves — lets stay

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