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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rash — hasty
  6. net — for catching
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. net — after costs
  10. march — music
  11. club — a group
  12. mate — a partner
  13. scale — in music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rash — a series
  16. net — in sport
  17. mate — to breed
  18. scale — size or range
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. club — for golf

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