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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bore — to drill

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