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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pit · key · bear · band · march · object · land · chair

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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. bear — the animal
  4. march — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. land — to come down
  10. band — a ring
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. land — a country
  14. key — in music
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. object — an aim
  19. land — ground
  20. band — a music group
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. band — a rubber band

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