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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — an amount
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. march — music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. march — the month
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. march — the month
  14. last — final
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — to go on
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. degree — from a university
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fork — in a road

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