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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. march — the month
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. press — to push
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. march — the month
  9. squash — to crush
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bear — the animal
  12. last — final
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. scale — in music
  16. kick — in football
  17. march — music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. press — a publisher
  20. last — to go on
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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