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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. object — an aim
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spell — a short time
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. object — to protest
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rash — a series
  22. object — a thing
  23. rash — hasty
  24. kick — in football

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