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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. club — for golf
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pass — a permit
  5. file — a document
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. key — in music
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. club — a group
  10. march — the month
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. file — a tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. ball — a dance
  17. net — for catching
  18. key — for a lock
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. march — music
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ball — a great time

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