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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rash — a series
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — the fish
  13. present — a gift
  14. march — the month
  15. present — there
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. march — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. present — the time now
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rash — on the skin

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