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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. row — a line
  4. rash — hasty
  5. march — music
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — a measure
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. can — a tin
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. row — to paddle
  17. scale — in music
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. can — to be able to
  21. march — the month
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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