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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hand — help
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. track — a path
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. scale — size or range
  9. march — music
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. season — in sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. scale — in music
  20. pit — a hole
  21. track — to keep track
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. season — of the year

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