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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — the month
  3. charge — a price
  4. fall — the season
  5. charge — electricity
  6. stand — to bear
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a path
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. march — music
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. can — a tin
  18. track — a song
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. can — to be able to
  22. charge — in control
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fall — to drop

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