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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. rule — a law
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — the month
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pop — to visit
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pop — music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. march — music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. march — the month
  14. file — a document
  15. fine — all right
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rule — government
  21. season — in sport
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pop — soda
  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