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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pit — a hole
  6. march — music
  7. fine — all right
  8. pop — soda
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. drill — army training
  11. spell — letters
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. march — the month
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. key — for a lock
  17. track — a path
  18. key — in music
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — the tool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. march — the month
  24. pit — in a race

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