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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bore — to tire
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. can — a tin
  13. capital — money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bore — to drill
  16. key — in music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. can — a tin
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. season — in 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