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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — finally
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cap — a hat
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. last — to go on
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — the month
  10. key — in music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ball — a great time
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ball — a dance
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. last — final
  20. march — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — the most important part
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ball — a round shape

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