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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — hasty
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — a series
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fall — to drop
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. march — the month
  12. track — a path
  13. row — a line
  14. lean — thin
  15. fall — the season
  16. track — to keep track
  17. lean — to bend
  18. net — in sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. track — a song

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