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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — of the year
  3. present — a gift
  4. mate — a partner
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — a friend
  7. present — there
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. net — for catching
  10. march — music
  11. lean — thin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. lean — to bend
  15. net — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cell — a phone
  18. season — in sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. march — the month
  24. mate — to breed

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