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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. chest — a box
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pit — in a race
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. squash — the sport
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — to crush
  21. hand — help
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. shower — rain

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