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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spell — a short time
  6. board — a committee
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. march — music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. degree — an amount
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spell — magic
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spell — letters
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — the month
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. board — to get on
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. degree — temperature

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