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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — an illness
  3. march — the month
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. march — music

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