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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — thin
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. band — a ring
  5. mate — a partner
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mate — to breed
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a music group
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lean — to bend
  24. march — music

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