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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — the month
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. march — the month
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. march — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. craft — boats
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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