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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. file — a line of people
  3. key — in music
  4. season — in sport
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. last — finally
  7. bore — to tire
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. last — to go on
  10. bore — to drill
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. last — final
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cue — a hint
  16. scale — size or range
  17. file — a document
  18. scale — in music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. file — a tool
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. season — of the year
  24. bore — gave birth

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