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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pound — a weight
  10. march — the month
  11. fine — all right
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fine — a penalty

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