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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. key — in music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — of the year
  9. key — for a lock
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. club — for golf
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitch — completely
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. march — music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. club — for dancing

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