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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — army training
  12. cue — for pool
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — a series
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. march — the month

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