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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rash — hasty
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. file — a document
  7. cue — for pool
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cue — a signal
  13. land — a country
  14. file — a tool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. land — ground
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mate — to breed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mate — a friend
  23. land — to come down
  24. cue — a hint

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