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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. lean — to bend
  3. staff — employees
  4. can — a tin
  5. march — music
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — crushed
  14. craft — boats
  15. bound — certain
  16. lean — thin
  17. craft — a skill
  18. staff — a stick
  19. can — a tin
  20. ground — a position
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — the earth
  24. can — to be able to

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