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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. key — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — the most important part
  8. sharp — clever
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. march — music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. capital — money
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. deal — to handle
  20. perch — the fish
  21. capital — a city
  22. track — a song
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. track — to keep track

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