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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. march — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mark — a trace
  6. suit — to fit
  7. row — a line
  8. march — the month
  9. suit — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. row — to paddle
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. mark — a grade
  17. suit — clothes
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — the month
  23. branch — a division
  24. mark — to pay attention

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