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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. season — of the year
  3. march — the month
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. march — music
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bound — certain
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kid — to tease
  15. snap — to click
  16. cap — of ice
  17. season — in sport
  18. kid — child
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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