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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 116 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. mate — to breed
  3. land — ground
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. march — the month
  9. land — a country
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. march — music
  15. land — to come down
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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