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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pit — in a race
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pit — a hole
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. march — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. band — a music group
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pop — music
  19. band — a ring
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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