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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. present — the time now
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. march — music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. can — to be able to
  11. kick — in football
  12. bound — tied together
  13. present — a gift
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — there
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — help
  18. bound — certain
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. ground — the earth
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — obliged

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