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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. scale — size or range
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — in music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. key — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. land — to come down
  11. march — the month
  12. key — the most important part
  13. squash — to crush
  14. march — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. current — happening now
  18. land — a country
  19. current — of water
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. current — electric
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — ground
  24. lash — an eyelash

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