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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. present — there
  7. march — music
  8. court — of a king
  9. march — the month
  10. court — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. court — of law
  13. row — to paddle
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. row — a line
  18. cap — of ice
  19. present — a gift
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. march — the month
  22. stock — goods
  23. present — the time now
  24. row — a quarrel

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