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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ball — a dance
  4. track — a song
  5. march — music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. tube — a container
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. march — the month
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tube — the underground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. track — a path
  24. rash — hasty

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