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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. game — a match
  6. key — in music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. march — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rule — government
  11. last — final
  12. rule — a law
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. march — the month
  18. mark — a grade
  19. last — to go on
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. last — finally
  24. key — the most important part

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