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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. march — music
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — a list
  5. bark — to shout
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. suit — in cards
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hand — in cards
  10. march — the month
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. march — the month
  13. key — in music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fall — the season
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. suit — to fit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hand — help
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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