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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bound — certain
  3. march — music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ground — crushed
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ground — a position
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. coach — a trainer

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