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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — in music
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. drill — a practice
  7. last — to go on
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. last — finally
  15. drill — the tool
  16. key — for a lock
  17. last — final
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wax — to grow
  20. key — the most important part
  21. charge — in control
  22. pitch — completely
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. charge — a price

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