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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. squash — the sport
  4. march — music
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — a lid
  8. club — for dancing
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. march — the month
  11. board — to get on
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cap — a hat
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — of ice
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. club — for golf
  23. board — a committee
  24. mouse — 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