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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. march — the month
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. land — a country
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. season — in sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. march — music
  14. pop — music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pop — soda
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — of the year

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