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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. march — music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bound — tied together
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. craft — boats
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bound — certain
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. perch — the fish
  22. snap — to click
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — obliged

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