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

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mug — a face
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. spell — magic
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — to breed
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pound — a weight
  11. squash — to crush
  12. face — to point toward
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spell — a short time
  15. lean — thin
  16. face — to confront
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mug — a cup
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spell — letters

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