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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — certain
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bound — obliged
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bound — tied together
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — a box
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stand — to bear
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. row — a line
  18. march — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — temperature

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