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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. march — music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. roll — a cake
  5. charge — electricity
  6. march — the month
  7. track — to keep track
  8. charge — a price
  9. track — a path
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. key — for a lock
  15. track — a song
  16. mine — for digging
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. charge — in control
  21. roll — a list
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. march — the month
  24. key — in music

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