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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. march — the month
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — the time now
  9. march — music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pitch — completely
  14. present — there
  15. hand — help
  16. rock — music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. trunk — of a car

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