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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — letters
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. march — the month
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. swing — music
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. swing — to play on
  14. spell — a short time
  15. file — a document
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. file — a line of people
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. file — a tool
  24. spell — magic

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