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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. kid — child
  3. march — the month
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spring — a coil
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mine — for digging
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to click
  11. spring — the season
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. march — music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spring — of water
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mouse — the animal

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