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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. season — of the year
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hand — help
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rash — a series
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — to protest
  18. file — a document
  19. squash — the sport
  20. object — a thing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. file — a tool

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