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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — for catching
  6. tube — the underground
  7. object — a thing
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rock — music
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — to drop
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rock — a stone
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. net — in sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. tube — a container
  20. object — an aim
  21. bulb — for light
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — the season
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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