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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — final
  5. march — music
  6. last — to go on
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — music
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. key — in music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ball — a dance
  19. band — a ring
  20. last — finally
  21. band — a music group
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. ball — a great time
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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