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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fall — to drop
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. root — of a word
  8. mug — a cup
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mug — to rob
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rule — government
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. ball — a great time
  22. root — the cause
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a round shape

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