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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 120 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 · stick · cabinet · wake · club · face · key · track

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. key — in music
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — part of the head
  5. key — for a lock
  6. track — a path
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. march — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. track — to keep track
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — the month
  20. club — a group
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. march — the month
  23. track — a song
  24. face — to confront

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