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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. march — music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. key — in music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. content — the amount
  12. band — a ring
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. content — happy
  21. band — a music group
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. deal — to handle

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