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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · pop · hide · snap · key · wound · leaves · game

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. key — for a lock
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fine — all right
  7. key — in music
  8. game — wild animals
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pop — soda
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. snap — to click
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. game — a match
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fine — high quality

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