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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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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: key · leaves · snap · swing · march · mate · club · spring

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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. mate — a friend
  4. club — for dancing
  5. swing — in golf
  6. spring — of water
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — for a lock
  9. club — for golf
  10. march — music
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. spring — the season
  13. mate — a partner
  14. swing — to play on
  15. snap — to click
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. swing — music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. spring — a coil
  23. club — a group
  24. key — in music

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