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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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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: mate · nail · key · cold · lean · charge · season · jam

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mate — a partner
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. key — for a lock
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. charge — electricity
  12. season — in sport
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. charge — in control
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — in music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. season — of the year
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. charge — a price
  24. jam — in traffic

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