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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. key — for a lock
  3. row — to paddle
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. key — in music
  7. season — in sport
  8. key — the most important part
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. dip — to sink
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. capital — money
  15. season — of the year
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. deal — to handle

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