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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spring — a coil
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. band — a music group
  5. march — the month
  6. last — finally
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitch — completely
  11. march — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. last — final
  14. can — to be able to
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. season — in sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — of water
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — the season

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