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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. lean — to bend
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. present — a gift
  6. lean — thin
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. present — there
  11. bulb — for light
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mug — a face
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. present — the time now
  24. march — music

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