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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. toast — bread

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