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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mate — a friend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cold — an illness
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. key — in music
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. coach — a trainer

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