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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. roll — a cake
  5. track — to keep track
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. track — a path
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. roll — a list
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tube — the underground
  17. march — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tube — a container
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chest — of your body
  23. track — a song
  24. chest — a box

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