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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. snap — to click
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — in sport
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. last — finally
  10. key — for a lock
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. board — to get on
  13. key — in music
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. dip — to sink
  18. deal — to handle
  19. last — final
  20. season — of the year
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. last — to go on
  24. dip — to dunk

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