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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cue — for pool
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — in music
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. board — a committee
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cue — a hint
  14. scale — in music
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cue — a signal
  18. board — to get on
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — for a lock
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. march — the month

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