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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. club — a group
  9. land — to come down
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — a trail
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — music
  19. club — for golf
  20. key — in music
  21. rest — a break
  22. club — for dancing
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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