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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rest — a break
  3. key — for a lock
  4. march — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. pit — a hole
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. clip — a video
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pit — in a race
  12. march — the month
  13. clip — for paper
  14. present — a gift
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bank — for money
  19. present — the time now
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rest — what's left
  22. march — the month
  23. shower — rain
  24. present — there

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