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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. can — a tin
  4. bank — of a river
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. track — to keep track
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. track — a path
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a line of people
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. club — for dancing
  20. can — to be able to
  21. file — a document
  22. club — for golf
  23. track — a song
  24. club — a group

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