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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · pop · pitcher · staff · court · march · mouse · hide

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pop — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — for sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pop — soda
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — of law
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. march — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. march — the month

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