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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. track — to keep track
  4. march — the month
  5. last — finally
  6. track — a song
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a path
  9. last — to go on
  10. march — music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mug — a face
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — final

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