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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 120 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — final
  3. march — the month
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. net — after costs
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. march — music
  10. dip — to sink
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. plane — a tool
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — for catching
  18. march — the month
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. court — of a king

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