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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. land — ground
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pit — in a race
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ball — a great time
  11. land — to come down
  12. season — of the year
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. snap — to click
  16. land — a country
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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