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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kid — child
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pop — to visit
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. root — the cause
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pop — music
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — soda
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a plant
  23. march — music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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