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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: court · march · key · straw · mark · craft · club · pop

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. mark — a trace
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. court — for sport
  7. key — in music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. court — of a king
  12. club — for golf
  13. court — of law
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — music
  16. craft — boats
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. march — the month
  20. club — a group
  21. mark — a grade
  22. club — for dancing
  23. march — music
  24. key — for a lock

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