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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bound — certain
  7. key — in music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. key — for a lock
  10. court — of a king
  11. march — the month
  12. chest — a box
  13. march — the month
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. court — for sport
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. court — of law
  20. roll — a list
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bound — obliged

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