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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bound — certain
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. march — music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fine — all right
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lean — thin
  20. bound — tied together
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — an injury
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bound — obliged

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