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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cap — of ice
  4. march — the month
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ground — crushed
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — a position
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. scale — in music
  15. hand — help
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kick — in football
  24. mate — a partner

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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