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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. swing — to play on
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — music
  12. snap — to click
  13. last — to go on
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wound — an injury
  17. last — final
  18. swing — in golf
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tear — from crying
  22. march — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. last — finally

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