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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. key — for a lock
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. season — in sport
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — the month
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. march — music
  23. bound — certain
  24. lie — to recline

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