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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. toast — bread
  13. court — for sport
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. court — of law
  16. staff — a stick
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wake — a trail
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. court — of a king
  22. snap — to click
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. straw — a straw man

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