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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. march — music
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. club — for golf
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rash — a series
  9. march — the month
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. club — for dancing
  12. file — a tool
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. shower — rain
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rash — hasty
  18. file — a document
  19. shower — to wash
  20. club — a group
  21. file — a line of people
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. root — of a plant

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