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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. present — a gift
  10. fine — all right
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spell — a short time
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. present — there
  15. cue — a signal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cue — a hint
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. present — the time now
  21. key — in music
  22. spell — letters
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spell — magic

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