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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. last — final
  3. suit — in cards
  4. last — finally
  5. ground — crushed
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — the season
  10. march — the month
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. spring — of water
  14. ground — the earth
  15. suit — to fit
  16. last — to go on
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — a position
  21. key — in music
  22. march — music
  23. suit — clothes
  24. key — the most important part

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