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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. row — a line
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — to wash
  17. march — the month
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. march — the month
  20. net — after costs
  21. ball — a great time
  22. land — ground
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. row — to paddle

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