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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. shower — rain
  3. march — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. toast — bread
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rush — hurry
  24. saw — the tool

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