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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: march · key · mouse · chair · club · leaves · present · snap

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. march — the month
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — the month
  13. key — the most important part
  14. present — the time now
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. march — music
  17. key — in music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. club — for golf
  20. chair — a leader
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to click
  24. club — a group

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