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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. key — for a lock
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. craft — a skill
  11. key — the most important part
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — in golf
  15. key — in music
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pit — in a race
  18. swing — to play on
  19. march — the month
  20. swing — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. march — music
  23. craft — boats
  24. roll — a list

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