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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mug — a face
  4. wound — an injury
  5. net — in sport
  6. hand — help
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a match
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mug — a cup
  15. lie — to recline
  16. net — after costs
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. net — for catching
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mug — to rob
  22. game — wild animals
  23. toast — bread
  24. hand — in cards

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