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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. track — to keep track
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — to play on
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. club — for dancing
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. foot — a measure
  10. march — music
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. club — a group
  13. track — a song
  14. chest — of your body
  15. track — a path
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chest — a box
  18. club — for golf
  19. chest — of your body
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. swing — music
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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