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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mate — a friend
  6. net — in sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pound — a weight
  11. key — in music
  12. net — for catching
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. net — after costs
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mate — a partner
  24. leaves — of a tree

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