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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. game — wild animals
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a match
  10. march — the month
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. season — in sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fine — all right
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. saw — the tool

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