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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. land — a country
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to click
  10. net — for catching
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. calf — a young animal

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