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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. march — the month
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. march — the month
  6. bulb — for light
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rock — music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. present — there
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. present — the time now
  16. staff — employees
  17. row — a line
  18. march — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. staff — employees
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. present — a gift
  24. mark — a trace

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