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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. march — music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. key — in music
  6. march — the month
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. last — finally
  11. hand — in cards
  12. plane — a tool
  13. last — to go on
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. last — final
  19. key — for a lock
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. hand — help
  24. march — the month

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