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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — in music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. scale — size or range
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. current — electric
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cold — not warm
  22. scale — in music
  23. march — the month
  24. kick — with a leg

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