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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mate — a partner
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. march — music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. march — the month
  8. current — happening now
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. face — part of the head
  14. squash — to crush
  15. current — electric
  16. mate — a friend
  17. squash — the sport
  18. staff — a stick
  19. face — to confront
  20. march — the month
  21. face — to point toward
  22. current — of water
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. key — in music

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