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

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. march — the month
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cell — in biology
  11. march — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pass — a permit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. 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