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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. season — in sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bound — certain
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bound — tied together
  19. key — the most important part
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. file — a document
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bound — obliged
  24. key — in music

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