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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. roll — a cake
  4. march — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. march — the month
  10. mate — to breed
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mate — a partner
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mate — a friend
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mark — a trace
  22. date — the fruit
  23. toast — bread
  24. roll — a list

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