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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — hasty
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — a series
  7. band — a music group
  8. key — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. march — music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. club — a group
  18. pass — a permit
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. march — the month
  23. band — a ring
  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