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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — the month
  6. present — there
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. last — finally
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — goods
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stock — shares
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. last — final
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. present — the time now
  22. shower — rain
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. last — to go on

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