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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hand — help
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bound — certain
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. hand — in cards
  19. march — music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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