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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. key — in music
  5. net — for catching
  6. current — electric
  7. march — the month
  8. key — the most important part
  9. net — after costs
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. track — a song
  14. net — in sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — music
  17. current — happening now
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pass — a permit
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — a path
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pass — to succeed

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