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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rock — music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rock — a stone
  6. march — the month
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lean — to bend
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — thin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — to confront
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. march — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. face — to point toward
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. sharp — exactly

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