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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rash — a series
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — help
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. spell — a short time

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