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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cap — a lid
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. land — ground
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. snap — to click
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cap — of ice
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — to come down
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. date — the fruit
  19. land — a country
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cap — a hat
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bulb — of a plant

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