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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. march — the month
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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