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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. toast — bread
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. march — music
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cold — an illness
  10. row — a line
  11. mark — a trace
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cold — not warm
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stand — to bear
  23. march — the month
  24. mate — a friend

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