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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · dip · present · perch · rest · kid · march · cabinet

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. present — the time now
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. present — there
  6. march — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. present — a gift
  10. rest — a break
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. dip — to sink
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rest — what's left
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kid — child
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kid — to tease
  24. perch — for a bird

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