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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. track — a song
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ball — a dance
  7. present — a gift
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fine — all right
  10. track — to keep track
  11. present — there
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. snap — to click
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. key — in music
  17. present — the time now
  18. track — a path
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ball — a great time
  23. season — of the year
  24. rash — a series

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