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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. staff — employees
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — finally
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hand — help
  14. last — final
  15. march — the month
  16. last — to go on
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — a container
  20. staff — a stick
  21. tube — the underground
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hand — in cards

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