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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. game — a match
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — a phone
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. suit — in cards
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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