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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. march — the month
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. staff — a stick
  5. march — music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. drill — the tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bear — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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