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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. foot — a measure
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — finally
  7. clip — a video
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. clip — to cut
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. clip — for paper
  17. roll — a list
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. march — music
  24. last — to go on

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