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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mate — to breed
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — the tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mark — a trace
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pop — music
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. track — a song
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pop — soda
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. squash — the vegetable

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