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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: spring · date · coach · march · key · hide · ball · last

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. march — the month
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. date — the fruit
  8. last — to go on
  9. ball — a dance
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. march — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — a coil
  20. key — in music
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — final
  23. key — for a lock
  24. last — finally

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