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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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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: kick · key · straw · scale · march · toast · present · game

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. game — a match
  4. present — the time now
  5. scale — size or range
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. toast — bread
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. game — wild animals
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. key — the most important part
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. key — in music
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. kick — in football

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