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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. season — of the year
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — in sport
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. march — music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitch — completely
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. last — finally
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bat — the animal

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