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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cold — not warm
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cell — in biology
  7. can — a tin
  8. bound — obliged
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. march — music
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitch — completely
  19. can — a tin
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. foot — the bottom

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