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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. key — the most important part
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. key — for a lock
  6. roll — a list
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. present — there
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. present — a gift
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. roll — a cake
  14. present — the time now
  15. key — in music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. season — in sport
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lie — to recline
  24. leaves — lets stay

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