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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. present — a gift
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. present — the time now
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cap — a hat
  13. march — the month
  14. face — part of the head
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. kick — in football
  17. mark — a grade
  18. present — there
  19. face — to confront
  20. pop — soda
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mark — a trace
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cap — of ice

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