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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — a container
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — the underground
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. can — a tin
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. can — a tin
  22. lie — to recline
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cold — an illness

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