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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. march — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rash — a series
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pitch — completely
  24. key — in music

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