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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bank — for money
  6. band — a ring
  7. bank — for money
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — in cards
  13. last — to go on
  14. mate — a friend
  15. hand — help
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bank — of a river
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. key — the most important part
  24. band — a music group

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