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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. march — the month
  4. present — the time now
  5. bank — of a river
  6. last — final
  7. craft — a skill
  8. present — there
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bank — for money
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. present — a gift
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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