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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. drill — a practice
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — the month
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. march — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. land — ground
  10. drill — army training
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. bear — the animal
  14. snap — to click
  15. season — in sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bound — certain
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. land — a country

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