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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fork — in a road
  8. kick — in football
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rush — hurry
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. current — happening now
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. current — electric
  18. march — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — the sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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