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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · key · plane · field · arm · rule · rush · fall

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. key — the most important part
  3. field — a subject
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — for sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. key — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rule — a law
  14. plane — a tool
  15. march — music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rule — government
  19. rush — hurry
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fall — the season
  22. field — farmland
  23. fall — to drop
  24. plane — an aircraft

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