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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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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — music
  10. degree — from a university
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mark — a grade
  18. foot — a measure
  19. march — the month
  20. mark — a trace
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fall — the season
  24. mark — to pay attention

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