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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. march — music
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ground — a position
  10. bat — the animal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. spell — magic
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. spell — letters
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fall — the season
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — crushed

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