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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rest — a break
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — music

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