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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kick — in football
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. march — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. march — the month
  10. key — in music
  11. chest — a box
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — low music

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