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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — bread
  3. key — in music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. key — for a lock
  8. row — to paddle
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — a friend
  12. march — music
  13. snap — to click
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — to breed
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cell — in biology
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. cell — a phone
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wave — of the sea

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