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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. spell — magic
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. net — in sport
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — the month
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — a short time
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rash — on the skin

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