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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. last — finally
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — moving air
  8. field — farmland
  9. last — to go on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. march — the month
  14. mark — a trace
  15. board — to get on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. field — a subject
  18. board — a committee
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. field — for sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. last — final
  24. trunk — of a car

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