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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · fall · rush · kick · bay · field · mug · tube

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. field — for sport
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. march — the month
  16. tube — a container
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mug — a face
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. march — music

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