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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — a stick
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cap — of ice
  5. row — a line
  6. pit — a hole
  7. march — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cap — a hat
  12. spring — the season
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — in a race
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stand — for spectators

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