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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. march — the month
  3. key — for a lock
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. last — to go on
  7. fine — all right
  8. net — in sport
  9. key — in music
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — a trail
  19. last — final
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. key — the most important part

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