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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. row — a line
  2. board — to get on
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. row — to paddle
  8. spell — magic
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — letters
  11. key — in music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rush — hurry
  19. board — a committee
  20. key — for a lock
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. march — music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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