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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 120 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: club · pop · key · last · bore · season · deal · cap

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cap — of ice
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pop — to visit
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. season — in sport
  9. last — finally
  10. bore — to tire
  11. season — of the year
  12. last — to go on
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pop — soda
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. club — for golf
  17. cap — a lid
  18. key — the most important part
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. last — final
  22. bore — to drill
  23. key — in music
  24. cap — a hat

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