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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tube — the underground
  5. march — the month
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. key — in music
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — farmland
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. march — the month
  22. field — for sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. foot — part of the body

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