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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pop — music
  3. last — final
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mark — a grade
  6. key — in music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pop — soda
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cap — a hat
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. row — a line
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mark — a trace
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. row — to paddle

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