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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. march — music
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. date — the fruit
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pit — in a race
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. calf — of the leg

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