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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 120 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. court — of law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. mate — a partner
  6. club — a group
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. march — the month
  12. club — for dancing
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. march — music
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mate — a friend
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. present — a gift
  21. march — the month
  22. ground — the earth
  23. court — of a king
  24. present — there

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