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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. key — the most important part
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chip — to eat
  8. scale — in music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chip — for betting
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — in music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cold — an illness
  24. chip — in a computer

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