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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — child
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tear — from crying
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. tear — from crying
  12. firm — a company
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pop — soda
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fall — the season
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — steady
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — to tease
  24. foot — part of the body

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