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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. land — to come down
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — music
  5. land — a country
  6. object — to protest
  7. swing — to play on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — ground
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mate — to breed
  16. key — the most important part
  17. object — a thing
  18. swing — in golf
  19. object — an aim
  20. date — the fruit
  21. wake — a trail
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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