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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. firm — decided
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mug — a cup
  5. last — to go on
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. last — final
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — in sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. last — finally
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mug — to rob
  19. firm — steady
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — a face
  22. bark — to shout
  23. firm — a company
  24. key — in music

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