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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.

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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.

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: land · hide · march · season · perch · key · scale · pass

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. land — ground
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. march — music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. season — in sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. scale — in music
  13. perch — the fish
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — of the year
  19. land — a country
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. march — the month
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pass — a permit

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