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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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. dip — to dunk
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. club — for golf
  14. chest — a box
  15. club — a group
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pop — soda
  23. bear — the animal
  24. march — the month

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