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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wind — moving air
  3. firm — decided
  4. spell — letters
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. key — in music
  8. pass — a permit
  9. march — music
  10. firm — a company
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. firm — steady
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spell — magic
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. march — the month
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. march — the month
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fine — all right
  24. wind — moving air

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