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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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 — music
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. spell — magic
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bank — for money
  7. spell — letters
  8. bank — of a river
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. kid — child
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — the month
  17. spell — a short time
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. march — the month
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. suit — clothes
  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