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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 124 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tube — a container
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — a phone
  5. last — finally
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. last — to go on
  15. plane — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. land — a country
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. can — to be able to
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. last — final
  24. tube — the underground

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