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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wake — a trail
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. scale — in music
  9. key — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. key — the most important part
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. key — for a lock

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