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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — a position
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mark — a grade
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bound — tied together
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — farmland
  13. ground — crushed
  14. object — an aim
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. object — a thing
  18. file — a document
  19. field — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. mark — a trace
  22. object — to protest
  23. march — the month
  24. field — a subject

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