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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — a series
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. net — in sport
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. date — the fruit
  17. net — after costs
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. march — music
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. net — for catching
  23. fork — in a road
  24. date — on the calendar

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