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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fork — in a road
  4. can — a tin
  5. march — the month
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — the animal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. march — music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ground — crushed
  24. temple — a place of worship

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