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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 116 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. suit — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pit — a hole
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rash — a series
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rash — hasty
  22. kick — in football
  23. game — a match
  24. suit — to fit

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