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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pound — a weight
  3. swing — to play on
  4. last — final
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. march — music
  7. key — in music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. last — finally
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. swing — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. deal — to handle
  23. march — the month
  24. pound — for dogs

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