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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.

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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: pop · content · game · march · foot · fan · straw · key

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. key — in music
  5. content — happy
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — the month
  19. game — wild animals
  20. content — the amount
  21. pop — soda
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. game — a match
  24. content — videos and posts

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