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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fine — all right
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cue — a signal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rash — a series
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. field — farmland
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — the month
  18. field — for sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. field — a subject
  21. bank — for money
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — a straw man

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