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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. march — the month
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — the month
  7. key — the most important part
  8. net — in sport
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. march — music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. toast — bread
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. key — for a lock
  17. net — after costs
  18. season — in sport
  19. track — a song
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. key — in music
  23. net — for catching
  24. track — a path

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