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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. staff — employees
  5. bound — obliged
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ground — a position
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — a path
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — help
  15. track — a song
  16. bank — for money
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bank — of a river
  19. march — the month
  20. bound — certain
  21. staff — employees
  22. ground — the earth
  23. march — the month
  24. track — to keep track

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