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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 124 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bear — the animal
  4. firm — decided
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wound — an injury
  9. firm — steady
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. firm — a company
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — an injury
  24. march — music

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