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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bound — tied together
  6. march — the month
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. can — a tin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pit — in a race
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mug — a face
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — certain
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mug — to rob
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — a hole

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