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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. pop — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bear — the animal
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cold — an illness
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a ring
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. band — a music group
  17. mate — to breed
  18. season — in sport
  19. rush — hurry
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. season — to add flavour

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