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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the fish
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bass — low music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. key — in music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. march — music
  24. key — the most important part

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