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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: march · mate · jam · wind · game · cabinet · bay · fall

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wind — moving air
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. mate — a partner
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — the month
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. march — music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. wind — moving air

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