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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — a box
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. object — to protest
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. kid — child
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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