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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. object — to protest
  3. lean — to bend
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — the month
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. object — an aim
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — finally
  13. object — a thing
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. march — music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. last — final
  22. lean — thin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chip — in a computer

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