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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. firm — steady
  3. roll — a cake
  4. face — to confront
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. firm — decided
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. file — a line of people
  9. firm — a company
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. face — part of the head
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. face — to point toward
  14. key — for a lock
  15. march — music
  16. roll — a list
  17. file — a document
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. file — a tool
  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