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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. present — a gift
  6. march — the month
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. club — for dancing
  9. staff — a stick
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. club — for golf
  14. key — the most important part
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. key — in music
  22. pop — soda
  23. club — a group
  24. pop — to visit

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