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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mark — a grade
  5. key — in music
  6. march — the month
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. march — the month
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. march — music
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. scale — in music
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. patient — a sick person

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