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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. snap — to click
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — the month
  7. squash — to crush
  8. perch — the fish
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chair — a leader
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. squash — the sport

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