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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. shower — to wash
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. can — a tin
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. shower — rain
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. can — a tin
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pass — a permit
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pitch — completely
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. squash — the vegetable

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