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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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. key — the most important part
  4. rash — a series
  5. key — in music
  6. current — of water
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. staff — employees
  10. key — for a lock
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. staff — a stick
  13. current — happening now
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. staff — employees
  17. current — electric
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — ministers

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