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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fine — high quality
  3. press — to push
  4. band — a ring
  5. fine — all right
  6. can — to be able to
  7. march — the month
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. press — newspapers
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bark — to shout
  15. press — a publisher
  16. band — a music group
  17. track — a path
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. track — to keep track
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. track — a song
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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