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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. key — for a lock
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — the month
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — a short time
  11. key — in music
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spell — magic
  17. march — music
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fall — to drop
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — money
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — army training
  24. capital — a city

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