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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — a tin
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. swing — music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — an illness
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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