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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rest — a break
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. season — in sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bound — tied together
  9. plane — a tool
  10. hand — help
  11. bound — obliged
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pit — a hole
  14. roll — a list
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — in music
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bound — certain
  22. key — the most important part
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pit — in a race

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