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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. roll — a list
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bear — the animal
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. march — the month
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hide — to keep secret

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