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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ground — a position
  3. march — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. mark — a trace
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mark — a grade
  8. squash — the sport
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ground — the earth
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. squash — to crush
  24. season — in sport

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