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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. march — the month
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chest — a box
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — music
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — moving air

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