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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 124 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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468
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — in sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cell — a phone
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cell — in biology
  10. date — the fruit
  11. march — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — of the year
  21. can — to be able to
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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