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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. shower — to wash
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — after costs
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. net — for catching
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. net — in sport
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. shower — rain
  22. fine — all right
  23. bear — the animal
  24. march — music

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