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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 need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. root — the cause
  3. march — the month
  4. last — finally
  5. root — of a word
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wound — an injury
  9. craft — a skill
  10. root — of a plant
  11. last — final
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. craft — boats
  18. last — to go on
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — music

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