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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. club — a group
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. squash — to crush
  11. club — for dancing
  12. track — a song
  13. ground — crushed
  14. track — a path
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. ground — the earth
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. tube — a container

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