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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cap — a lid
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. land — ground
  5. suit — in cards
  6. land — to come down
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cap — a hat
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. court — of law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. kid — child
  13. suit — to fit
  14. court — for sport
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. march — the month
  18. suit — clothes
  19. land — a country
  20. court — of a king
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — to tease
  23. march — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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