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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. press — a publisher
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — to handle
  8. season — in sport
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. press — to push
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. club — for dancing
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — of the year

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