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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: bay · fan · rush · mouse · staff · march · chip · cold

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cold — an illness
  4. staff — employees
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. chip — for betting
  15. staff — employees
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — to eat
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rush — a thrill

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