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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 · wake · drill · ruler · chest · march · pit · face

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — the month
  3. key — in music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a hole
  6. march — music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wake — a trail
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chest — a box
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. march — the month
  18. key — the most important part
  19. face — to confront
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pit — in a race
  23. key — for a lock
  24. drill — the tool

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