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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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. ruler — for measuring
  4. court — of a king
  5. spell — magic
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — a cup
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. mug — a face
  20. spell — a short time
  21. key — in music
  22. spell — letters
  23. key — for a lock
  24. last — final

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