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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — of water
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spring — a coil
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. ground — the earth
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. spring — the season
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. ground — a position

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