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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. saw — the tool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — low music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — a series
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wind — to turn a key

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