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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. march — the month
  13. cold — not warm
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — music
  20. kick — in football
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — the month
  24. cold — an illness

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