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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. march — the month
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. track — a song
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. track — a path
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. hand — in cards
  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