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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lean — thin

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