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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. key — for a lock
  3. kid — child
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kid — to tease
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — the month
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. row — to paddle
  11. craft — a skill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — employees
  15. march — the month
  16. land — to come down
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. craft — boats
  20. land — ground
  21. march — music
  22. land — a country
  23. staff — a stick
  24. row — a line

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