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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. board — to get on
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bore — to tire
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. march — music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bore — to drill
  18. march — the month
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wake — a trail
  21. tube — a container
  22. board — a committee
  23. cap — a hat
  24. can — a tin

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