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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — the month
  6. root — the cause
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. root — of a word
  10. mark — a trace
  11. root — of a plant
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. clip — a video
  18. land — ground
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mark — a grade
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. clip — to cut
  24. march — the month

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