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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. season — of the year
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — a trail
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. current — electric
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. current — happening now
  18. march — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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