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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. field — farmland
  5. game — a match
  6. staff — a stick
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. staff — employees
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. field — a subject
  17. march — the month
  18. key — for a lock
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. staff — employees
  21. march — the month
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. key — in 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