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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. shower — to wash
  3. squash — the sport
  4. charge — electricity
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. march — the month
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cap — of ice
  10. shower — rain
  11. mark — a trace
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. ball — a great time
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ball — a dance
  21. charge — a price
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cap — a lid
  24. charge — in control

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