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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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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cap — a lid
  4. march — the month
  5. land — a country
  6. cap — a hat
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pit — in a race
  10. march — music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. land — to come down
  14. row — to paddle
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mate — to breed
  18. roll — a cake
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — ground
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cap — of ice
  23. row — a line
  24. roll — a list

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