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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. march — music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bound — obliged
  16. swing — in golf
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — the month
  20. swing — music
  21. bound — certain
  22. hand — help
  23. tube — the underground
  24. leaves — to go away

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