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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. march — music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. craft — boats
  15. chip — to eat
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a face
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mug — to rob
  22. kid — child
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. craft — a handicraft

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