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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — child
  3. march — music
  4. ball — a great time
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mate — to breed
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kid — to tease
  23. march — the month
  24. swing — in golf

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