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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — a hat
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pop — music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bound — certain
  7. pop — to visit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pop — soda
  10. march — music
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bound — tied together
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — obliged
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cap — a lid
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cap — of ice
  24. straw — a straw man

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