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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.

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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: march · leaves · key · deal · net · pitcher · wound · bore

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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. bore — gave birth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. march — the month
  9. net — for catching
  10. key — in music
  11. net — in sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. net — after costs
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. deal — an agreement

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