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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — the month
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rash — a series
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pop — to visit
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — soda
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pop — 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