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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. object — to protest
  3. march — the month
  4. mark — a grade
  5. branch — a division
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. row — a line
  8. squash — to crush
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mark — a trace
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rock — a stone
  16. object — a thing
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. object — an aim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. march — music
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. kick — with a leg

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