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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. march — the month
  4. cold — not warm
  5. march — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bass — low music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. root — of a word
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cell — in biology
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — the month
  20. root — the cause
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cabinet — ministers

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