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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. key — the most important part
  3. content — happy
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. key — in music
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. march — music
  8. lie — to recline
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bark — to shout
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. plane — a tool
  14. kick — in football
  15. key — for a lock
  16. march — the month
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. content — the amount
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rest — what's left

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