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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — the month
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. row — to paddle
  6. current — of water
  7. march — music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. drill — army training
  11. staff — employees
  12. current — happening now
  13. mate — a partner
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. drill — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mate — to breed
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. drill — a practice
  22. current — electric
  23. mate — a friend
  24. calf — a young animal

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