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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. charge — a price
  5. prune — to trim
  6. charge — in control
  7. last — final
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — hurry
  12. charge — electricity
  13. press — a publisher
  14. last — finally
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. press — newspapers
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. last — to go on
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. march — music
  23. press — to push
  24. band — a music group

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