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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 partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. mark — a grade
  4. present — the time now
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — the sport
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. content — happy
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. squash — to crush
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — music

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