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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spell — letters
  9. mark — a grade
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — magic
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mark — a trace
  16. march — the month
  17. wind — moving air
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. key — for a lock
  20. spell — a short time
  21. game — a match
  22. march — music
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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