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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rock — a stone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — a position
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. key — in music
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ground — the earth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — crushed
  24. season — of the year

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