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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. swing — music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. present — a gift
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mate — a friend
  10. march — the month
  11. face — to confront
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mate — a partner
  14. swing — in golf
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mate — to breed
  20. present — there
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. march — the month
  24. staff — employees

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