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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — the time now
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mine — for digging
  12. march — music
  13. present — there
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. march — the month
  16. season — of the year
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — to add flavour

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