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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. march — the month
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. can — a tin
  8. face — to point toward
  9. scale — in music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — size or range
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. face — to confront
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. can — a tin
  21. march — music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. march — the month

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