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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. key — in music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — the month
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rock — a stone
  11. branch — a division
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. snap — to click
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. key — the most important part
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — music
  22. date — the fruit
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. key — for a lock

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