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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. march — the month
  3. mark — a grade
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. season — of the year
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mate — to breed
  8. season — in sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mark — a trace
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — a phone
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mark — to pay attention

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