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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. game — a match
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — help
  10. ground — crushed
  11. last — finally
  12. march — music
  13. last — final
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — a position
  20. march — the month
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. last — to go on

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