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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. season — in sport
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. last — to go on
  6. mug — a face
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — final
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mark — a trace
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mark — a grade
  18. roll — a cake
  19. march — the month
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. roll — a list
  22. season — of the year
  23. march — music
  24. last — finally

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