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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rock — music
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — for digging
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. season — of the year
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. row — a line
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — in sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rock — a stone
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. row — to paddle
  24. march — the month

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