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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. suit — to fit
  3. can — to be able to
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. kid — child
  8. present — there
  9. kid — to tease
  10. present — the time now
  11. march — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bulb — for light
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bulb — for light
  16. can — a tin
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. present — a gift
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. can — a tin
  24. bulb — of a plant

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