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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. court — of law
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. court — of a king
  24. bear — the animal

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