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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. snap — to click
  4. can — a tin
  5. march — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. can — a tin
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pitch — completely
  22. toast — bread
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitch — a sports field

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