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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. spell — magic
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. march — the month
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. march — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — bread
  17. spell — letters
  18. snap — to click
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. spell — a short time

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