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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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. march — the month
  4. club — for dancing
  5. march — the month
  6. dip — to sink
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ground — a position
  10. club — a group
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. ground — crushed
  15. game — a match
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. club — for golf

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