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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bound — tied together
  3. march — the month
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. fall — to drop
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — all right
  9. march — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fall — the season
  12. last — to go on
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — finally
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. season — in sport
  24. fine — high quality

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