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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — music
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ground — crushed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. can — to be able to
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — the earth

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