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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bear — the animal
  4. band — a ring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. key — in music
  12. club — a group
  13. track — a path
  14. bear — the animal
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. key — for a lock
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — finally
  20. club — for golf
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — for dancing

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