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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. ball — a dance
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — electricity
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — the month
  17. charge — a price
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. charge — in control
  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