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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. charge — in control
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. clip — to cut
  12. charge — a price
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chest — of your body
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. march — the month
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fine — all right

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