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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spring — a coil
  3. present — the time now
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spring — of water
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. present — a gift
  10. can — to be able to
  11. spring — the season
  12. march — music
  13. face — to confront
  14. charge — electricity
  15. march — the month
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — a price
  18. last — final
  19. face — part of the head
  20. charge — in control
  21. can — a tin
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — to point toward
  24. present — there

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