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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.

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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a city
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. march — music
  13. present — a gift
  14. capital — money
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fall — the season
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. march — the month
  24. fall — to drop

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