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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — magic
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rest — a break
  13. spell — a short time
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. key — in music
  18. pass — a permit
  19. spell — letters
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — the season
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. key — the most important part

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