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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. net — for catching
  4. spell — magic
  5. march — music
  6. spell — letters
  7. fine — all right
  8. spell — a short time
  9. net — in sport
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. file — a document
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fine — high quality
  14. march — the month
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. file — a tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rash — hasty
  19. toast — bread
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. file — a line of people
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — after costs

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