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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — for catching
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. net — in sport
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. net — after costs
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. march — music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bank — for money
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. march — the month
  20. bank — for money
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. roll — a cake
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. toast — bread

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