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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. last — finally
  7. march — music
  8. last — to go on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pop — soda
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. kid — child
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. march — the month
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. last — final
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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