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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for dancing
  7. march — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — happening now
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. club — a group
  13. march — the month
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger

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