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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. kid — to tease
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. object — a thing
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. object — to protest
  10. stock — shares
  11. march — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. object — an aim
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. march — the month
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kid — child

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