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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · row · march · rash · mark · present · cabinet · tear

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. present — a gift
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — a series
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mate — to breed
  9. row — a line
  10. mate — a friend
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mark — a trace
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — the time now
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rash — hasty
  22. present — there
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — a grade

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