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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. season — in sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. can — a tin
  5. key — in music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. net — in sport
  8. bass — low music
  9. can — a tin
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. march — the month
  14. net — for catching
  15. race — a contest
  16. season — of the year
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. key — the most important part
  22. net — after costs
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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