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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. key — the most important part
  3. face — part of the head
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — obliged
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. march — the month
  16. row — a line
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. row — to paddle
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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