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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 116 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stand — to bear
  4. march — the month
  5. spell — letters
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. club — for golf
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. march — the month
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. hand — help
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. club — a group
  21. spell — magic
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wound — an injury

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