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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. march — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — of water
  6. sharp — clever
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rule — a law
  11. track — a song
  12. spring — the season
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rule — government
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — the month
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. spell — letters
  23. track — to keep track
  24. spring — a coil

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