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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. present — a gift
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mug — to rob
  12. present — there
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mug — a cup
  15. toast — bread
  16. mug — a face
  17. pit — a hole
  18. march — the month
  19. present — the time now
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. track — a path
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — a position
  24. bear — the animal

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