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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. season — in sport
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pop — to visit
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pop — soda
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — of the year
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. march — the month
  24. pop — music

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