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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 116 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — the season
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — to drop
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bat — for baseball

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