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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · key · season · bass · present · march · fork · suit

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — for golf
  4. bass — the fish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. present — the time now
  7. suit — in cards
  8. march — music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. march — the month
  11. present — there
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. season — of the year
  15. club — a group
  16. march — the month
  17. bass — low music
  18. present — a gift
  19. fork — in a road
  20. season — in sport
  21. suit — clothes
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. suit — to fit

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