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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. march — music
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. bound — obliged
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. season — of the year
  13. last — final
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pop — soda
  21. march — the month
  22. bound — certain
  23. season — in sport
  24. dip — to sink

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