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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. track — a path
  3. march — music
  4. chest — a box
  5. mug — to rob
  6. spring — the season
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — a law
  10. spring — a coil
  11. march — the month
  12. track — a song
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mug — a face
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spring — of water
  20. rule — government
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mug — a cup
  24. prune — to trim

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