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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — of a river
  8. ground — crushed
  9. track — a path
  10. ground — a position
  11. swing — music
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. track — to keep track
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — a song
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bank — for money
  22. cold — an illness
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. march — the month

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