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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stock — shares
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. shower — rain
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. season — of the year
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spring — of water

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