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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 · leaves · suit · land · sharp · key · fall · ground

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. suit — in cards
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — to come down
  8. suit — to fit
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fall — to drop
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mate — a friend
  13. key — the most important part
  14. land — ground
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ground — crushed
  17. key — in music
  18. fall — the season
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. suit — clothes

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