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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. shower — rain
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. capital — money
  10. band — a music group
  11. rock — music
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. march — music
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. capital — a city
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kid — to tease
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — the month
  24. pass — a permit

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