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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. march — music
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kid — child
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cap — of ice
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cap — a lid
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. game — wild animals
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — a cup
  23. game — a match
  24. mug — a face

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