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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — a division
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. swing — music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rash — hasty
  15. march — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. kid — child
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rash — a series

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