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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mate — a friend
  4. march — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — of a king
  10. spring — the season
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spring — a coil
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — for sport
  18. march — the month
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mate — a partner
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bank — of a river
  24. court — of law

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