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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. firm — steady
  6. can — a tin
  7. firm — decided
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. can — to be able to
  13. march — music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. can — a tin
  16. firm — a company
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cap — of ice
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cap — a lid

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