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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mate — a partner
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. march — the month
  7. club — for dancing
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. can — a tin
  22. club — a group
  23. rash — a series
  24. club — for golf

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