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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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Word bank
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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. row — to paddle
  3. key — for a lock
  4. march — music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. march — the month
  18. row — a line
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — completely
  21. march — the month
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — the Cold War

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