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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spring — the season
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spring — of water
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. last — final
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. leaves — of a tree

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