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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. present — a gift
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. rule — a law
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. root — the cause
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rule — government
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. root — of a word
  20. present — the time now
  21. track — a path
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — to keep track
  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