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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. root — of a word
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pit — in a race
  10. root — the cause
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — a song
  13. pit — a hole
  14. march — music
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. track — a path
  20. toast — bread
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. root — of a plant
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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