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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. drill — army training
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — a grade
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — rain
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rest — what's left
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. march — music
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. shower — to wash
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. swing — music
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rest — a break
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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