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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cap — a hat
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pop — to visit
  8. firm — steady
  9. cap — of ice
  10. march — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pop — soda
  18. roll — a list
  19. pop — music
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hand — help
  24. roll — a cake

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