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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. track — a song
  4. present — the time now
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — a country
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. land — to come down
  12. march — the month
  13. present — a gift
  14. rock — music
  15. ball — a dance
  16. present — there
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — ground
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rock — a stone
  24. march — music

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