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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mate — a friend
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tear — to rip
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. sharp — clever
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — a song
  14. march — music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mate — to breed
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — soda
  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