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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stand — to bear
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bear — the animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. date — the fruit
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. march — music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. snap — to click
  20. pit — in a race
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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