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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. march — music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cue — a hint
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. field — for sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. rock — music
  11. shower — rain
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. field — farmland
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wake — a trail
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cue — a signal
  23. march — the month
  24. field — a subject

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