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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. firm — steady
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. last — to go on
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — help
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. march — the month
  17. mark — a trace
  18. firm — decided
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hand — in cards
  24. firm — a company

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