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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. march — music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — in golf
  14. march — the month
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. swing — music
  23. key — in music
  24. fork — in a road

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