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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lean — thin
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. kick — in football
  20. chair — a leader
  21. key — in music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. fork — in a road

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