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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. present — a gift
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. present — there
  10. hand — help
  11. present — the time now
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cue — a signal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cue — for pool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spell — magic

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