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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 124 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pass — a permit
  3. march — the month
  4. spell — letters
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ball — a great time
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. spell — magic
  24. march — music

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