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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. land — to come down
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. march — the month
  7. net — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bank — for money
  10. march — music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. snap — to click
  13. bank — of a river
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. land — a country
  17. tube — a container
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bank — for money
  20. march — the month
  21. net — for catching
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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