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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bound — certain
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — a short time
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. roll — a cake
  13. march — music
  14. roll — a list
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. spell — magic
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. file — a document
  22. spell — letters
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. deal — to handle

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