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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fine — all right
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bear — the animal
  10. march — music
  11. ground — a position
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pop — to visit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pop — soda
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — high quality

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