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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spell — letters
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a cake
  15. march — the month
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. roll — a list
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. spell — a short time
  24. root — of a plant

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