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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. march — music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. march — the month
  10. land — to come down
  11. track — a song
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. can — a tin
  18. track — a path
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitcher — a jug

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