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

Word bank: stick · march · present · mate · kick · squash · bowl · wake

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. present — the time now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. present — a gift
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. march — the month
  22. present — there
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bowl — a dish

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