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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. present — a gift
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. present — the time now
  9. march — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. season — in sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — for pool
  15. season — of the year
  16. rash — hasty
  17. squash — to crush
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fan — a supporter

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