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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spring — a coil
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — in sport
  15. current — electric
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pop — music
  19. current — of water
  20. pop — soda
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. march — the month

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