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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. march — the month
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — for sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. court — of a king
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. march — music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pit — in a race
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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