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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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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: rock · roll · rest · march · present · season · arm · jam

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. present — a gift
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rest — a break
  7. march — music
  8. season — in sport
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — a cake
  12. march — the month
  13. roll — a list
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rest — what's left
  16. season — of the year
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rock — a stone
  19. present — there
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. present — the time now
  24. arm — part of the body

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