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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. march — music
  12. shower — rain
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. key — the most important part
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. toast — bread
  19. key — in music
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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