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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. present — a gift
  4. pop — music
  5. face — to confront
  6. present — the time now
  7. toast — bread
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. present — there
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bat — the animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pop — to visit
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — soda
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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