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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — the month
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lean — thin
  22. bound — certain
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cap — a lid

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