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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. march — the month
  4. net — in sport
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. roll — a cake
  13. march — music
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. net — after costs
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. net — for catching
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. roll — a list
  24. ball — a round shape

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