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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. track — to keep track
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. track — a path
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — tied together
  8. can — a tin
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bound — certain
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — army training
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spring — of water
  18. mate — a partner
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — to drop
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fall — the season

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