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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. march — the month
  9. cap — a hat
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cap — of ice
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. squash — to crush
  22. game — wild animals
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. game — a match

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