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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — for sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bound — certain
  8. march — the month
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — a subject
  12. march — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — farmland
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. prune — to trim
  24. safe — out of danger

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