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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: season · key · fine · march · leaves · pound · hand · cabinet

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fine — high quality
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pound — a weight
  9. march — the month
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. key — in music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — help
  16. march — music
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hand — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. season — in sport
  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