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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mate — a friend
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cap — a hat
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. key — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. present — the time now
  11. mate — a partner
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hand — help
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cap — of ice
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cap — a lid
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. present — a gift
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a car

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