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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — to handle
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pop — music
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. march — music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. scale — size or range
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pop — soda
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. plane — a tool

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