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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — all right
  3. fork — in a road
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. lean — thin
  7. track — a song
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. track — a path
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fine — high quality
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bat — the animal

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