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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. march — music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — music
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pop — soda
  18. march — the month
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — obliged
  23. march — the month
  24. stand — for spectators

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