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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. suit — in cards
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. row — a line
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. suit — clothes
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fine — all right
  19. deal — to handle
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. row — to paddle
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — a quarrel

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