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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. kick — in football
  3. cap — a lid
  4. march — music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cap — a hat
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spring — of water
  10. bound — certain
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bound — obliged
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cap — of ice
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. march — the month

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