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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bound — obliged
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. tube — a container
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — of the year
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bound — tied together
  14. season — in sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bound — certain
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cap — of ice
  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