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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. club — for golf
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. march — the month
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chest — a box
  16. club — a group
  17. march — music
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mark — a trace
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — for dancing
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. key — in music
  24. march — the month

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