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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — to breed
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. march — music
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ball — a dance
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mate — a partner
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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