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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — to go on
  3. track — a song
  4. spell — a short time
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spell — letters
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. content — the amount
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. track — a path
  20. spell — magic
  21. march — music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — the month

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