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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mate — a partner
  7. drill — the tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pit — a hole
  12. drill — army training
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. net — for catching
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rash — a series
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. net — after costs
  24. bulb — for light

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