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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — a break
  12. file — a tool
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. march — music
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. file — a document
  19. root — the cause
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a word
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rest — what's left

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