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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — the animal
  7. net — in sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cold — an illness
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — not warm

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