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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — music
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. can — to be able to
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — to push
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. press — newspapers
  15. land — ground
  16. press — a publisher
  17. land — a country
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — to come down
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wind — to turn a key

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