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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. roll — a list
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. march — the month
  5. season — of the year
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chest — a box
  9. fork — in a road
  10. season — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stock — shares
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — goods
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. roll — a cake
  24. fork — a garden tool

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