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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 116 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: march · cue · mark · bound · last · pit · spring · key

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bound — certain
  4. spring — a coil
  5. last — final
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spring — of water
  8. last — to go on
  9. march — music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. key — in music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. key — the most important part
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — in a race
  19. spring — the season
  20. last — finally
  21. march — the month
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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