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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — the month
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — in music
  7. march — music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. kid — child
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — the month
  19. fall — the season
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. kid — to tease

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