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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. key — in music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a music group
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. march — music
  13. plane — a tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. shower — rain
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pitch — completely
  21. sharp — clever
  22. key — for a lock
  23. march — the month
  24. shower — to wash

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