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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mate — a friend
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — a trace
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. staff — a stick
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mark — a grade
  18. march — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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