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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. net — after costs
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. key — for a lock
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — for catching
  9. sharp — clever
  10. saw — the tool
  11. march — the month
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — in sport
  16. capital — a city
  17. march — music
  18. roll — a list
  19. key — in music
  20. roll — a cake
  21. capital — money
  22. march — the month
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pass — to spend time

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