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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rock — music
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. march — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rush — to hurry

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