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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. land — to come down
  6. roll — a list
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. land — ground
  11. roll — a cake
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — music
  22. land — a country
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. straw — dry grass

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