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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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Word bank
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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: fan · march · chest · mouse · lash · bound · cap · pit

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chest — a box
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — certain
  24. cap — of ice

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