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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.

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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. toast — bread
  10. can — a tin
  11. rest — a break
  12. can — a tin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — of your body
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kid — to tease
  18. march — music
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rest — what's left
  23. staff — a stick
  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