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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. kid — child
  2. march — the month
  3. stand — to bear
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. march — the month
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lie — to recline
  16. swing — to play on
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chip — for betting
  19. key — the most important part
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chip — to eat
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. swing — music
  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