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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. march — the month
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mark — a trace
  10. squash — the sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a ring
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. band — a music group
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. kid — child
  19. march — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. squash — to crush

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