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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. saw — the tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. march — the month
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. row — a line
  23. pitch — completely
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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