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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — to come down
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — ground
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. chair — a leader
  13. charge — a price
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. charge — in control
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — a country
  23. clip — a video
  24. charge — electricity

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