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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. last — finally
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. march — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. last — final
  10. march — the month
  11. root — of a word
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. root — the cause
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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