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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: ball · wound · march · last · key · fall · cue · sharp

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. ball — a great time
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — a signal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fall — the season
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — for pool
  18. last — final
  19. ball — a dance
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cue — a hint
  23. fall — to drop
  24. key — in music

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