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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. march — the month
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — steady
  7. key — for a lock
  8. hand — help
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — to go on
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — a company
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. firm — decided
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. staff — a stick
  20. key — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. staff — employees
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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