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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. dip — to sink
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — the season
  10. season — of the year
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — in sport
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. march — music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. march — the month
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. fall — to drop
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fall — to drop

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