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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — to crush
  3. row — a line
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. march — music
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rash — hasty
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — to paddle
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. key — in music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — on the skin

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