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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mate — a friend
  3. march — music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. land — to come down
  7. tube — the underground
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — a face
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. land — ground
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — a container
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. court — of a king
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. land — a country
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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