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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cap — of ice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cap — a hat
  14. row — a line
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rest — a break
  17. march — the month
  18. last — finally
  19. row — to paddle
  20. last — final
  21. rash — a series
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mate — to breed
  24. last — to go on

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