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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. season — in sport
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rock — music
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. key — for a lock
  22. game — a match
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rock — a stone

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