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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rush — hurry
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — a committee
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. board — to get on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bound — certain
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kid — child
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. board — a flat piece

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