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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. march — music
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. ground — crushed
  8. last — final
  9. key — the most important part
  10. last — finally
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ground — the earth
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — help
  18. march — the month
  19. key — in music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to sink
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ground — a position

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