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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — the month
  4. land — ground
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — final
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bank — of a river
  10. last — to go on
  11. bat — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — finally
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bank — for money
  22. pit — in a race
  23. land — to come down
  24. bat — for baseball

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