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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 120 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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. key — the most important part
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. key — for a lock
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. shower — rain
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. dip — to sink
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. row — a line
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bear — the animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pass — a permit
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. key — in music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bear — the animal

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