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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — in sport
  3. deal — to handle
  4. march — music
  5. wax — to grow
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. march — the month
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. nail — on a finger

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