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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. season — in sport
  4. land — ground
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. key — in music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. season — of the year
  14. key — for a lock
  15. clip — a video
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. scale — size or range
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. charge — in control
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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