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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rest — a break
  3. present — there
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pop — music
  7. march — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. present — a gift
  12. march — the month
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pop — soda
  17. mate — to breed
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — the time now
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — boats

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