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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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. racket — for tennis
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — of your body
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chest — of your body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chest — a box
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bear — to put up with

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