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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. toast — bread
  5. roll — a list
  6. field — farmland
  7. club — for dancing
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. hand — help
  10. club — a group
  11. hand — in cards
  12. roll — a cake
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pound — a weight
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. club — for golf
  19. march — the month
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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