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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 124 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. key — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — a stick
  8. key — for a lock
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — the earth
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rule — a law
  15. ground — crushed
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rule — government
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. key — the most important part
  24. march — music

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